Means for stopping service and other gas pipes



Feb. 1, 1938.

' c. s. hmm-:1 l

MEANS FOR STOPPING SERVICE AND OTHER GAS PPES File'd May 2 1954 K e M CW W. SW nog. @1f W 70a mm, M

Patented Feb. 1, 1938 UNITED STATES grouse PATENT OFFIQE Claude S. Hazel, Philadelphia, Pa., assigner to The United Gas Philadelphia, Pa., a Vania Improvement Company, corporation of Pennsyl- Application May 2, 1934, Serial No. 723,464

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to stoppers for gas service and other pipes.

Such Stoppers are used, among other purposes, for preventing the theft of gas from service pipes which are presumably inactive and shut off. For this purpose, it is very desirable to position the stopper in the service pipe at a considerable distance from the head of the service pipe, so that, if a would-be illicit consumer removes thev plug at the head of the service pipe, the stopper is not visible and is difficult to reach and remove without special tools.

In order to provide economical insurance against theft, the Stoppers must be relatively inexpensive, and the cost of installing them,as Well as that-of removing them on resumption of normal supply to consumers, must be low.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide new and improved apparatus for effectively stopping gas service in a manner diiiicult to circumvent, and in which the Stoppers and tools for installation and removal are relatively inexpensive, and in the use of which economical installations and removals of the Stoppers may be made. v

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following description, at the end of which the invention will be claimed.

Generally stated, the invention consists in a sectional tool projectable and retractable through an opening in a gas service pipe located on the inlet side of a gas meter and of which one part is a stopper element and is provided with flexible projections exceeding in diameter the bore of the pipe and reversely cupable in the pipe, and 'of which the other part is a handle element con- 'nectible and disconnectible with and from the stopper element, and it serves to push the stopper element into the pipe and to leave it there at a point remote from the opening and to capture and fish the stopper element out of the pipe.

The invention also consists in the improvements to Vbe presently described and nally claimed.

The invention may be best described and its advantages pointed out in connection with the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specication and which shows a form of the invention chosen for illustration, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a stopper; n

` Figure 2 is a cross-section along the line X-X Vin Figure 1;

- Figure 3 is a side elevation of a portion of the tool for inserting and removing the stopper;

(Cl. 13S-89) Figure 4 is an end elevation of the tool of Figure 3; v

Figure 5 is a side elevation of an extension handle for the tool of Figure 3; and

Figure 6 is a View, partly in cross-section and partly in side elevation, of portions of a service installationV together with the apparatus of the previous gures, showing the insertion or removal of a stopper.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, I indicates a bolt provided with a thread Ia which, for purposes of deception, may be left-handed; 2, 3, 4 and 5 are spaced disks of resilient material such as rubber, provided with centered holes through which the bolt I passes. Pairs of stiff washers, such as metal washers E and 1, 8 and 9, Ill and lI, I2 and I3, are arranged on each side of disks 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively. Spacing tubes, such as metal tubes I 4, I 5 and I6, serve ito space the disks. The washer 6 abuts against a shoulder I'I formed on the bolt and the nut I8 serves to tighten the assembly of disks, washers and spacers whichare held rmly between the shoulder I1 and the nut I8 which engages the thread Ib. The disks provided are of larger diameter than the inside diameter or bore of the service pipe into which the stopper is to be inserted.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, I9 generally indii Cates the head of the tool which is provided with an internal cavity 26 (shown dotted in Figure 3) which tapers inwardly to the threaded bore 2| (shown dotted in Figure 3) adapted to receive and engage the threaded end la of the bolt I of the stopper of Figure 1. The thread on the bore 2I is of course left-handed, if left-handed threads are provided on the stopper bolts. The tool head I9 is attached to the rod 22, for instance, as'by the means shown in Figure 3, in which the end of the rod is threaded into the bore 2I. The rod may be provided with the aligning or centering disk 24, which may be of rubber and slightly smaller in diameter than the interior diameter of the service pipe. The disk 24 is provided with a central hole, through which the rod passes and is held by the washers 25 and 26 and the nuts 2l and 28. In Figure 3 the rod is shown as Drovided with a thread 29 and stop-nut 33 for at-r taching the rod to an extension illustrated in Figure 5.

Referring to Figure 5, this ligure shows a discontinuous side elevation of arfolding extension of the rod 22 of Figure 3. 3l indicates a ferrule provided with a central bore 32 (shown dotted) threaded to receive and engage the threaded end 29.01' the rod of Figure 3. 34 and 35` indicate sections of the extension joined by the pivot 36. 31 is a third section joined to section 35 by the pivot 38. The extensionmay be provided with the handle 39. Y

Referring to Figure 6, 40 generally indicates a service pipe leading through the building basement wall 4| to the T 42V at the head Vof the service pipe. 43 is the pipe leading to the meter. The T opening 44 is normally closed by a plug (not shown). 45 generally indicates the stopper. 46 generally indicates the tool, and 41 the extension of the tool rod.

In operation, referring to all the figures, when the stopper 45 is to be inserted in the serviceV pipe, the bolt is screwed into the bore 2| of the tool head, and the thread 29 is threaded into the `bore 32 in the tool extension. The Vplug normally in the T opening 44 is removedfand the stopper forced into the opening, the rubber disks successively iiexing back into a cup-shape tol permit their entrance into the opening 4,4. If, as

Yis frequently the casa/the opening 44 is smaller Vopening 44, resuming its unexed position after passing into the enlargement leadingto the service pipe. er diameters than the internal diameter of the service pipe,.remain in la. cupped deformation Within the service pipe, their resiliencypres'sing the rubber at or near the disk peripheries tightly againsttheinterior of the pipe and `stopping off the gas.4 With the extension 41, the stopper may be conveniently pushed iive or sixfeet into fthe service pipe from the service pipe head.

yWhen so positioned, the tool may be disengaged Yfrom the stopper by turning the handle 39 and unscrewing the head of the tool from the bolt of the stopper. The tool is then withdrawn, leaving the stopper tightly engaged and well within the service pipe. The opening 44 `is'then closed by a plug. Y Y Y The stopper is very diirlcult to remove without the described special tool. It is vfar within the service pipe, and if disks of the proper `diameter with respectto the internal diameter of the service pipe are used, their outer edges are pressed so firmly against the interior of the pipe that it-is gaging the end of the stop-perV bolt.ProvisionY f ofv a left-hand thread on the bolt-screw makes unauthorized removal still more unlikely. Y

In removing the stopper with the tool, the tool 46 and the extension 41 are vconnected and yinserted through the opening 44 and into the service pipe, the aligning disk 24 roughly centering the tool head |9 with respect `to the bolt of the stopper. As the tool head encounters the end of the bolt: l, the tapered wall of the cavity 20 in the toolY head guides the end of the bolt intoengagement with the threaded bore 2|, and turning the handle 39 screws the bolt into the Y bore 2|, rmly connecting the tool and stoppen A strong pull on-the handle 39 then reverses the deformation "of the disks, and the stopper is withdrawn 'from the service pipe and out through 'the opening 44, which opening is then plugged.

In many gas situations-the T at the service pipe head is constructed as shown in FigureA 5,

The disks of the stopper, having greatwith the opening 44 of smaller diameter than the internal diameter of the service pipe; forinstance, the opening 44 may be 3A diameter and the internal diameter of the service pipe 11A".

Expandible plugs at present employed for the same purpose as the apparatus of the invention, when small enough tol pass through the a, T opening,.cannot be properly expanded to block the 1% service pipe, necessitating a replacerment of the T with one having a larger'opening at 44, thus permitting the entrance of a larger expandible plug. Y

With the present stopper a diameter Vof the disks may be chosen which will Vpermit passage through the restricted T opening` and still effectively block the larger service pipe. For instance, and purely for illustration, rubber disks 11/2 in diameter and v1/8 thick may be readily forced through the T opening and are larger enough to block effectively the 1% service pipe, even `though the internal diameter of the service pipe is slightly over size .as it frequently is. The washers on the Ystopper are provided witl'i va smaller diameter than the T opening.V f y y e If the Topenings 44 in the distribution sys- .tem are as large as the internal diameter ofthe Y service pipe, thealignment disk on the tool yneed not be of resilient material.

' Y VThe stopper kofi the present invention isinexpensivaitsparts being economical to make, requiring no expensive machine Work. In assembly, all that is required is t o slip the parts successively on the bolt and tighten the nut I8.

In the figures, a stopper with four disks is illustrated, as it has been found inexpensive and be arranged so that thegas is blocked off from Y theT opening 44 Aas soon kasrthe rstv disk is pressed against the T opening. With thev expandible plug-stopper; the gas Vis not shut roff until the plug is expandedafter insertion.;

The provision of a tool extension, which may be folded Vor Votherwise collapsed into a* small length, permits the gas company employee to enter a premise with the stopper and tool concealed, and to install the stopper without the knowledge of theroccupants as to the means employed Vfor preventing unauthorized consumption.

The stopper also may be employed with or Vwithout the tool for blocking gas pipes forother purposes than the prevention of theft. Y

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to whioh the invention .relatos that modifications may be madein details of construction and arrangement and in matters of mere formY without departing from the spirit of the invention which ves is not limited to such matters or otherwise than 'y as thekprior art and the require. Y

I claim: 1

through an orice, smaller than 4the internal di- Y ameter of the pipe to be stopped and lequipped with exible-discs rculpable to enter and' stop and appended claims may reversely cupable to leave the pipe, said multiple disk member including means adapted to be engaged by an inserting tool.

2. Means for stopping gas service and other gas pipes, said means being adapted for insertion through an orifice smaller than the internal diameter of the pipe to be stopped and comprising a stopper rod having a shoulder and a clamping nut, a series of flexible discs mounted on the rod, Washers strung on the rod and ap-V plied to the faces of the discs and tubes strung on the rod and interposed between the Washers, said parts assembled into a stopper structure, said multiple disk member including means adapted to be engaged by an inserting tool.

3. Means for stopping vservice and otherI gas pipes, said means comprising a plurality of spaced parallelly arranged flexible rubber discs, a supporting member for said discs arranged axially thereof, said discs being of a diameter sufciently larger than the pipe to be stopped and of adequate resilience at their peripheral edges to be cupable upon entering said pipe and to form a gas tight fit with said pipe, said discs also beV 

